Humor in Team Interaction for Success, Essay Example

Humor in team interaction

The use of humor is a crucial character trait that increases the effectiveness of interactions in teams as well as the general success of the team. A significant time period in any work place is spend in face to face form of communication (Romero & Pescosolido, 2008). Human that is expressed in a tasteful manner has the needed potentials for the success on team members. The nature and extent of humor that is evident in a particular work place is determined by the culture of that particular work place. Teams that are successful promote a culture of a feeling of belonging and individuality. Interactions that involve humor are common in less hierarchical groups which subsequently promote more openness and innovation. Team members in such settings are more open and can therefore deliberate more successfully. Members who feel less comfortable in sharing their ideas are encouraged to be more participative if humor is a feature in the team. If members are overly serious in team interactions, they are commonly taken less seriously by their counterparts in the team.

Humor has been associated with improvement in performance and decision making in teams and augments the perceptions of constructive tasks as well relational behaviors (Romero & Pescosolido, 2008). Humor has also been linked to constructive effect in the effectiveness of the teams. Effective use of humor in teams translates to value in attraction of attention, provocation of thoughts, amalgamation of friendship, enhancement of communication, helps in addressing the difficult moment, development of positive self image, stress reduction as well as motivator and energizer. Constructive interaction in teams is crucial in the enhancement of written as well as spoken communication. Spoken communication is usually a predominant feature in team interactions.

Humor plays a crucial role in the achievement of relational along with transactional objectives of the team. Humor has also been linked to effective solving of problems, conflict mediation as well as decision making within teams. Humor is also critical in enhancement of sturdy exchange of ideas. Teams that value humor are able to improve the prestige and standing of each other. However, some teams are not able to tolerate humor as humorous characters are usually associated with disruptive behaviors and may be disapproved. Some teams also perceive humor as a coping strategy and a self-defense mechanism (Daugherty & Williams, 2010).  Humor is also at times perceived as an avenue of self disclosure more so in embarrassing situations.

Humor promotes leadership qualities within the team as it is an indicator that an individual can have fun and fulfill job mandate and responsibilities at the same time. Humorous people are also free of stress during crucial meetings with team members. Humor also plays a crucial role in career development and nurturing skills which in essence contributes to success in job performance. This is usually an important agenda in most meetings among team members in the organization. Promoting individual growth in teams is crucial to the general success of the team (Daugherty & Williams, 2010).  Maintenance of order and calm in team interactions can also be successfully achieved through humor. Effective use of humor during interactions among team members unlocks and individual as well as other members leading to the development of congenial relationships that promotes successful performance of individual duties. This consequently translates to the overall success of the team.

References

Daugherty, R.A. & Williams, S.E. (2010). Developing Effective Leaders: Using humor effectively. (Teaching modules) Retrieved February 6, 2010, from http://www.fcs.okstate.edu/leadership/Developing%20Effective%20Leaders.htm

Romero, E. & Pescosolido A., (2008). Humor and Group Effectiveness, Human Relations 2008; 61; 395.